Friday, 28 January 2011

Lambeth Council has been hit by the biggest cuts to local government in living memory. The Tory- Lib Dem Government is slashing funding to Lambeth by a third over the next three years, which includes a 12% cut this year.

The Tory- Lib Dem Government has chosen to target poorer inner-city areas like Lambeth for the biggest cuts. By comparison, wealthy areas like Surrey, Dorset and Buckinghamshire are only facing cuts of a couple of percentage points.

Over the past four years Labour has been proactive in making efficiencies in Lambeth – cutting £30 million from the budget to prioritise frontline services. We now have to make £79 million is savings in a shorter period of time. We will do everything in our power to save money by cutting management costs and the back office, but cuts on this scale will result in reductions to services. We hope new cooperative models of ownership will allow some services to be delivered in new, more efficient ways.

PolicingWe will continue to fund the extra Council-funded PCSOs on the Prince’s ward Safer Neighbourhoods Team.A reorganisation of Lambeth Police will mean extra officers released to work exclusively in the North Lambeth Area

Adult social careEligibility criteria will not be changed, so the Council will still provide care to those in both critical and substantial need.Meals on Wheels will continue to provide a daily hot food service

Children and young peopleWe have protected frontline social workers so they can continue to protect Lambeth’s most vulnerable childrenServices for children with disabilities and special needs will be protectedCouncil-run adventure playgrounds like Lollard Street will stay open, but have their management transferred to the voluntary sector

LibrariesNo library closures have been announced, but big savings in libraries need to be made. We pledge to work closely with the Friends of Durning Library to identify savings and new ways of working to try to ensure we can keep Durning Library open.

EnvironmentWeekly refuse collections will continue.Recycling will be made compulsory.

Charges will be introduced for green and bulky waste collectionThe current road and pavement resurfacing programme will continue, though some smaller potholes will go unrepaired.

Though not directly part of the budget, proposals have already been anounced to increase fees for parking permits

ParksMore events will be allowed in Lambeth’s parks (like Kennington Park and Clapham Common) to generate more income for the CouncilThe work of the Council’s Park Ranger Service will be split between Grounds Maintenance Staff and the police

StaffMany residents of our area are employed by the Council. Cutting management and ‘the back office’ means making people’s jobs redundant. There will be significant job losses as management and service structures are reorganised.

Asset salesLambeth desperately needs to raise money to pay for crucial capital works – like expanding schools, resurfacing streets and pavements, and improving leisure facilities. We have to sell assets which are not being used fully. In Prince’s ward these are likely to be:

- Beaufoy Institute, Black Prince Road – The Beaufoy has lain empty for many years. Considerable time and money has been spent by the Council on examining options for its use, including a studio school proposal which did not proceed. In the absence of any viable proposals for its use as an educational site the Council proposes to sell the building and the site to raise money for Lambeth’s top priorities.

- Shelley site, Oakden Street – in recent years this school site has housed the Michael Tippett School and the Olive School. It has been empty since summer 2010. The Council does not need the site for further school ‘decants’, and there is no projected demand (or funding) for expansion of primary schools in North Lambeth. A recent survey of residents in the area carried out by councillors indicated that a majority would support selling the site for housing development. We will work closely with local residents on the details of how we go about selling the site, and will support Archbishop Sumner’s School in looking at other options for their aspiration to expand in the future (sadly, no funding is available to meet that aspiration currently).

- Half of the Old Lilian Baylis site, Lollard Street – Thanks to Labour the Sports Action Zone has been using the site for sports and youth activities, and other community groups have used buildings on the site. The Council is working on a proposal to transfer ownership of half of the site to a community trust to continue the sports, youth and community work on the fantastic facilities the SAZ have developed. In the next year we hope to sell the other half of the site (containing the listed school buildings) to a developer to enable a well-designed mixed-use proposal to be developed. Again, we will work closely with the community on the details of this development.

Monday, 24 January 2011

Councillor Steve Morgan has emailed the dozens of residents who have complained about the poor state of four Kennington streets with some excellent news - the Council is planning to resurface them next month!

Stannary Street, Wincott Street, Reedworth Street and Kempsford Road are in an appalling state with potholes littering the carriageway. Council officers have made some savings to this year's borough-wide resurfacing programme and have managed to squeeze the four Kennington streets into the end of year's programme.

A planning application has been submitted for the next phase in the redevelopment of the Old Lilian Baylis School site on Lollard Street.

Lambeth Council is looking into handing control of the back portion of the site to a new community trust, which will run the site for sports and leisure use, continuing the excellent work of the Sports Action Zone.

New buildings will be erected to house changing rooms, offices and community facilities.

Developers have announced an exhibition of their revised proposals to redevelop 8 Albert Embankment, the site to the rear on Whitgift Street, and the site at the corner of Black Prince Road and Newport Street. All used to be part of the London Fire Brigade headquarters.

The previous proposals did not make it to Lambeth's Planning Committee as officers objected to the loss of employment land, and local councillors objected to the lack of affordable housing.

The new proposals are significantly revised:

-the proportion of affordable housing rises from 10% to 29%

-there is an increase in commercial floor space

-there are big changes to the heights of the new buildings, to better preserve the views of listed buildings

Thursday, 20 January 2011

Many residents of Kennington and Vauxhall will be aware that an angry row has broken out between government ministers and Lambeth councillors.

Lambeth Council is reporting Communities Secretary Eric Pickles to a Government watchdog for fiddling the figures over the unprecedented cuts he is imposing on local services. Mr Pickles repeatedly claims that no council will face a cut of more than 8.9% this year when he knows that the majority of councils are facing reductions far higher than that figure. Lambeth's cut this year is around 12%, with more than a third of the budget being slashed over the coming three years.

Mr Pickles has attempted to divert attention from his misleading statements by criticising Lambeth for spending £600 on a poster campaign highlighting how residents put forward their views on what services should be prioritised by councillors. You can take part in the consultation here , and use Lambeth's budget simulator to indicate how you would make the difficult choices that councillors face.

Initial budget proposals will go before the Council's scrutiny committees in the next couple of weeks. The meetings are open to the public and there is usually time for you to put your views forward on the proposals. Details of scrutiny meetings are on the Council's meeting calendar.

Labour councillors have worked hard on the intial budget proposals to ensure that wherever possible savings will be found from cutting back office costs and management. However, tough decisions are inevitable.

Lambeth Council's final 2011/12 budget will be approved at a Full Council meeting on 23 February.

An application has been received to apply the following name to the new block of five flats on part of the site of The George Public House, Lambeth Walk, SE11 (also known as the Sugden House boilerhouse site):

Arundel Court

The name has been proposed as a result of research undertaken by the applicant in conjunction with the Lambeth Archives:

The land now occupied by Lambeth Walk and Old Paradise Street was part of the estate owned by the Duke of Norfolk, who also holds the title of Earl of Arundel, between 1397 and the latter part of the 16th Century. The estate formed the grounds of the prominent stately home called Norfolk House, used as the London home of the Norfolk family when not resident at their main seat of Arundel Castle in Sussex.

Any objection to the intended order will be considered by the Council, provided that the objection is submitted in writing by 19 February 2011. To object or comment please contact your councillor.

After several months of lobbying by councillors, Lambeth Living has finally introduced parking controls on a patch of paving behind Prichard House on Kennington Road.

Prichard House is part of the large development on the site of Kerrin Point, a Lambeth tower block which was demolished in the 1990s.

Councillors pointed out that parking controls would be needed on the new paved area, and that Lambeth Living was responsible for managing the land. After a lot of pressure they have now introduced controls, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use the route unimpeded.

Monday, 17 January 2011

Over 70 representatives of local community groups from areas between Lambeth Bridge and Clapham Town gathered at the Lost Theatre on Wandsworth Road to discuss the major redevelopment of the Vauxhall- Nine Elms- Battersea area.

The Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area stetches from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Power Station, and has been earmarked by London's Mayor for major redevelopment - including 16000 new homes and 25000 new jobs. Major investment in infrastructure will be required to make the plan a reality. A Strategy Board for the project has recently been set up, consisting of the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Lambeth Council, Wandsworth Council, and major Nine Elms landowners.

The focus of the meeting was how community groups would interract with the new Strategy Board. It was agreed that a Lambeth Community Forum should be set up, involving all local groups, with the opportunity for those with special interests in particular areas like transport and housing to work in more detailed sub-groups which will work closely with officers delivering the project.

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Lambeth's London Assembly Member Val Shawcross has condemned the decision by Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative Chancellor George Osborne to inflict huge increases in bus, tube and rail fares on millions of Londoners. Since Boris Johnson was elected in 2008 the cost of a single bus ticket has risen by 44%. The combination of the rise in fares and the steep VAT rise will squeeze the standard of living in London.

Boris Johnson and George Osborne’s January fare hikes mean:A single bus journey is up by 8% this month to £1.30 – this fare is now up 44% under Boris Johnson, from 90p when he was elected.

The Pay As You Go Oyster daily fare cap for tube travel in zones 1-2 reaches £8A zone 1-2 monthly travelcard breaks through the £100 barrier for the first time.

George Osborne and Boris Johnson cut funding for London’s transport system by £2.1 billion (21%) in 2010. Boris Johnson said he was ‘pleased’ with this decision and called it ‘a good settlement’ for London.

Last week Boris Johnson criticised rhetoric over bankers bonuses as worrying and said the top rate of tax could not continue forever, whilst remaining silent over steep VAT increases.

Boris Johnson’s decision to remove the western extension of the congestion zone in December 2010 cost London £50m-£70m in revenue. Londoners are paying higher fares as a result.

Val Shawcross AM said:'At a time of great financial uncertainty and pressure on family budgets, the fare rises are completely unnecessary and add an additional burden on millions of Londoners.'Last year Conservative Mayor Boris Johnson and Conservative Chancellor George Osborne made a cut of 21% or £2.1 billion to the London transport budget. That’s a £300 cut in transport investment for every Londoner.'The consequences of Conservative transport cuts are clear; ordinary Londoners hit in the pocket by record fare rises in order to pay for Boris Johnson and George Osborne’s desire to cut public services. The huge hikes in tube, bus and rail fares show just how out of touch Johnson and Osborne are with the concerns of ordinary Londoners.'

(NOTE: This Notice is about changes in the cost of business, car club, doctors’, motorcycle, residents’, teachers’, traders’ and visitors’ parking permit’s and for the use of on-street metered parking places and on-street parking places by the pay and display method in the borough’s Controlled Parking Zones (CPZ’s).)

1. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Council of the London Borough of Lambeth under Section 46A of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 intends to make changes to the charges for the purchase of Business, Car Club, Doctors’, Motorcycle, Residents’, Teachers’, Traders’ and Visitors’ parking permits and for the use of on-street metered parking places and on-street parking places by the pay and display method.

2. Charges for the use of on-street metered parking places and on-street parking places by the pay and display method, will be as follows:

(a) in the Waterloo Controlled Parking Zone, where the current charge is £4.50 per hour, to increase that charge to £4.80 per hour;(b) in the Kennington Controlled Parking Zone, where the current charge is £3.40 per hour, to increase that charge to £4.00 per hour; (c) in the Brixton “B”, Brixton “E”, Brixton Hill East (known as Brixton “Q”), Camberwell, Clapham "C", Clapham "L", Herne Hill, Poets’ Corner, Stockwell, Thornton and Tulse Hill Controlled Parking Zones, where the current charge is £2.30 per hour, to increase that charge to £3.00 per hour; (d) in those parts of Cavendish Road, Hazelbourne Road and Robertson Street, where the current charge is £2.00 per hour there will no change.

3. The current charges for residents’ permits are as follows:- (a) residents’ permits for petrol cars or diesel cars registered before 1st March 2001 and for light goods vehicles registered on any date, are as follows:- (i) vehicles with an engine size less than 1550cc: £14.20, £32.50, £60.00, £115.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (ii) vehicles with an engine size which falls between 1550cc and 3000cc inclusive: £16.25, £37.50, £70.00 and £135.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iii) vehicles with an engine size higher than 3000cc: £21.25, £53.75, £102.50 and £200.00, for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (b) residents’ permits for petrol cars, diesel cars or alternative fuel cars (original constructions only) registered on or after 1st March 2001 are as follows:- (i) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 100 g/km or less: there are currently no incurred for residents’ permits for vehicles that fall into this category; (ii) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 101 to 120 g/km inclusive: £11.70, £25.90, £47.25 and £90.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iii) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 121 to 165 g/km inclusive: £14.20, £32.50, £60.00 and £115.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iv) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 166 to 185 g/km inclusive: £16.25, £37.50, £70.00 and £135.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (v) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 186 to 225 g/km inclusive: £20.00, £49.00, £93.00 and £180.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; and (vi) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 226 g/km and above: £21.25, £53.75, £102.50 and £200.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively.

4. Changes to the charges for residents’ permits will be as follows:- (a) residents’ permits for petrol cars or diesel cars registered before 1st March 2001 and for light goods vehicles registered on any date, will be as follows:- (i) vehicles with an engine size less than 1550cc: £18.45, £42.25, £78.00, £149.50 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (ii) vehicles with an engine size which falls between 1550cc and 3000cc inclusive: £21.15, £48.75, £91.00 and £175.50 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iii) vehicles with an engine size higher than 3000cc: £27.65, £69.90, £133.25 and £260.00, for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (b) residents’ permits for petrol cars, diesel cars or alternative fuel cars (original constructions only) registered on or after 1st March 2001 will be as follows:- (i) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 100 g/km or less: there will continue to be no charge incurred for residents’ permits for vehicles that fall into this category; (ii) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 101 to 120 g/km inclusive: £15.20, £33.70, £61.45 and £117.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iii) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 121 to 165 g/km inclusive: £18.45, £42.25, £78.00 and £149.50 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (iv) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 166 to 185 g/km inclusive: £21.15, £48.75, £91.00 and £175.50 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (v) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 186 to 225 g/km inclusive: £26.00, £63.70, £120.90 and £234.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; and (vi) vehicles with carbon dioxide emissions of 226 g/km and above: £27.65, £69.90, £133.25 and £260.00 for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively.

5. Residents’ living within the Waterloo Controlled Parking Zone or in that part of the Kennington Controlled Parking Zone which lies north of Kennington Lane and Bridgefoot (including the north side of Kennington Lane) that purchase residents’ permits for 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively for those vehicles referred to in paragraph:- (i) 4 (a) (i) and 4 (b) (ii) and (iii) above will be eligible for discounts of 10 pence, 85 pence, £3.25 and £13.00 respectively; (ii) 4 (a) (ii) and 4 (b) (iv) above will be eligible for discounts of 20 pence, 90 pence, £3.40 and £ 13.00 respectively; (iii) 4 (b) (v) above will be eligible for discounts of 25 pence, £1.00, £3.90 and £13.65 respectively; and (iv) 4 (a) (iii) and 4 (b) (vi) above will be eligible for discounts of 15 pence, 90 pence, £3.25 and £13.00 respectively.

6. Changes to the charges for Business, Car Club, Doctor’s, Teacher’s, Traders’ and Visitors’ permits will be as follows:-

(a) Business Permits (i) the current cost of a business permit is £525.00 for 12 months; (ii) the new cost of a business permit will be £600.00 for 12 months;

(b) Car Club permits (i) the current cost of a car club permit is £495.00 for 12 months; (ii) the new cost of a car club permit will be £550.00 for 12 months;

(c) Doctor’s Permits (i) the current cost of a doctor’s permit is £107.00 for 12 months; (ii) the new cost of a doctor’s permit will be £400.00 for 12 months;

(d) Teachers’ Permits (i) the current cost of a teachers’ permit is £255.00 for 12 months; (ii) the new cost of a teachers’ permit will be £330.00 for 12 months;

(e) Traders’ permits (i) the current cost of a trade permit is £2.60 per day; (ii) the new cost of a trade permit will be £18.75 per day; (iii) a book of five traders’ permits currently costs £10.40; (iv) a book of five traders’ permits will cost £90.00;

(f) Visitors’ Permits (i) the current cost of a visitors’ permit is £3.70 per day; (ii) the new cost of a visitors’ permit will be £5.00 per day. (iii) a book of five visitors’ permits currently costs £18.50; (iv) a book of five traders’ permits will cost £22.00.

7. Changes to the charges for Motor Cycle permits will be as follows:- (a) the current charges for Motor Cycle permits are: £12.00, £18.00 and £30.00 for 3, 6 and 12 months respectively; (b) the new charge for Motor Cycle permits will be: £18.00, £27.00 and £45.00 for 3, 6 and 12 months respectively.

8. If you have any enquiries concerning parking permits’ or the changes described above please telephone Lambeth’s Parking Services on 020 7926 9000 or e-mail T&HCallcentre@lambeth.gov.uk.

9. This notice comes into force on 21st February 2011, and the charges referred to in paragraphs 2, 4(a) and (b), 5, 6 and 7 above will have effect from that date.

Lambeth planners have finally given the go-ahead to a redevelopment of the George & Dragon pub on Vauxhall Street, which has lain derelict for many years.

The scheme will preserve a pub on the ground floor, convert the upper floors to flats, and build a three storey extension to the rear. Nine flats will be provided in total.

Councillor Mark Harrison supported the application and said 'I know residents in the area will be pleased that this derelict eyesore will finally be sorted out. The scheme is sensitive to the surrounding conservation area, preserves the pub use on the ground floor, and provides much-needed new homes'.

Tuesday, 4 January 2011

Labour's 2011 calendar is beginning to be delivered by volunteers across SE11, along with an invitation to our annual community coffee morning.

The calendar is a handy size for fridges and noticeboards, and contains contact details for all of your Labour representatives, along with other useful numbers.

The coffee morning will be held on Saturday 29 January, from 11am to 12:30pm, at St Anselm's Church Hall, Kennington Cross. All residents of Prince's ward are welcome. Councillors Lorna Campbell, Mark Harrison and Stephen Morgan will be joined by Vauxhall MP Kate Hoey, London Assembly Member Val Shawcross, and Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed.

(Unfortunately the calendar's designer has introduced an unfortunate typo - we are aware and it wasn't possible to get it changed!)

Lambeth Council are seeking the views of the local community on future developments within the Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area, and are inviting representatives of local organisations to an initial community engagement meeting.

The meeting is taking place on Wednesday 12 January 2011 from 6.30pm until 8.30pm. If you a representative of a community group who would like to attend please get in touch with your councillors.

The purpose of this meeting is to decide how the voice of Lambeth's communities affected by proposed developments in the Vauxhall, Nine Elms, Battersea development area can be heard, and how local community in put into future development and change can be most effectively made.

The Vauxhall Nine Elms and Battersea Opportunity Area stetches from Lambeth Bridge to Battersea Power Station, and has been earmarked by London's Mayor for major redevelopment - including 16000 new homes and 25000 new jobs. Major investment in infrastructure will be required to make the plan a reality. A Strategy Board for the project has recently been set up, consisting of the Greater London Authority, Transport for London, Lambeth Council, Wandsworth Council, and major Nine Elms landowners.

Local Labour councillors have announced the third annual SE11 Community Coffee Morning, after successful events in 2008 and 2009.

Residents of Prince's ward are invited to a community coffee morning on Saturday 29 January, from 11am to 12:30pm, at St Anselm's Church Hall , Kennington Cross.

It will be a chance for residents to meet their neighbours and local councillors, and to discuss issues affecting the area. Kate Hoey MP, London Assembly Member Val Shawcross, and Leader of Lambeth Council Steve Reed will also be attending. (If you have an issue you which you want to discuss privately, it might be better to attend one of our surgeries.)